Minutes
after the Common Application launched the latest edition of its online
application on August 1 of last year, Independent Educational Consultants
(IEC’s) in China, Korea, Singapore and
across the world began opening accounts and walking through the process of learning
the new software.
Without
benefit of “beta” testing or live instruction on how the application would
work, IEC’s were among the first to experiment with and develop workshops for
students as well as colleagues on how to manipulate the new text boxes and deal
with smart technology that didn’t always function as well as it should have.
IEC’s
immediately picked up problems in language and instructions, and they made
recommendations both via the Common App Help Desk and directly to
administrative staff. And within days,
many of these recommendations were acted upon and changes were quietly made
without acknowledgement of or appreciation for the dedicated professionals who tirelessly
worked to smooth the rough edges of an entirely new system.
And
thanks to the tenacity and collegial spirit of many IEC’s, school counselors
who reported to work later in August could build on knowledge and expertise
shared online and in public forums.
"This is kind of a
'fan e-mail'--my first, at that! I am writing to thank you for all of your
comments in the past month,” said one counselor in response to technical
information shared about the new Common Application. “You have been an
invaluable resource during the craziness of the new CA4."
Last month, the Common
Application Board of Directors, whose membership is largely composed of
representatives of private colleges and small independent high schools—no
IEC’s, held an emergency meeting to discuss the launch of the CA4.
While
acknowledging that this has been an “uncharacteristically difficult year,” the
Board had a “highly productive discussion” and voted to undertake an independent review of Common Application organization and technology.
“To be
clear, this is a board initiative, but The Common Application and Hobsons’
staffs have welcomed the outside review and are fully cooperative,” according
to an email sent to members on December 26, by board president, Thyra Briggs,
of Harvey Mudd College.
Within
days, Censeo, a DC based consulting firm with experience related to federal
procurement and supply chain management, put together a set of surveys—one for
Common App member colleges and one for counselors.
In
addition to the 517 member colleges and universities, 50,000 school counselors were
surveyed. Students were left out of the
project because they lacked the “perspective” of being able to compare the old
Common App with the new.
And although
both Censeo and the Common Application declined to say how counselors were
selected and where the mailing list came from, one message came through loud
and clear—IEC’s were not welcome to share their insights or participate in the
project.
“HECA’s 780
members work with over 18,000 seniors a year,” commented Gael Casner, president
of the Higher Education Consultants Association. “In fact, this fall we
were in the trenches with seniors during the day, during the evening and on
weekends as they learned to navigate the new Common Application. We celebrated
when all green checks aligned correctly and scrambled for answers when they
didn’t. Our first-hand experience with the Common App this year and in previous
years places HECA members in a unique position to offer valuable input into the
survey being conducted by Censeo.”
It’s
worth noting that the 12-question survey sent to counselors, assumed the
possibility that IEC’s would be among those surveyed, as the first question
allows the respondent to identify as such. Yet with the exception of a few retired
school counselors who have new careers as IEC’s, none were knowingly sought out
for their opinions.
“We
would love to offer the opportunity to CA to access our membership for feedback
and our staff will work with theirs to make it happen,” suggested Mark Sklarow,
CEO of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, a membership
organization representing 1300 IEC’s serving nearly 55,000 students annually. “The vast majority of our members have been
advising college-bound students for over 10 years and largely come out of
school counseling or college admission positions—the very folks who could add
perspective given the professional hats they’ve worn.”
Despite
whatever message the Common App is trying to convey, IEC’s continue to work
with high school students, school counselors, and colleges as valued
professionals with a broad view of the entire admissions process.
And
they are being acknowledged for what they bring to the counseling
profession. The Colleges That Change Lives recently included Gisela Terner, an IEC from Wisconsin, among the 2014
Counselors That Changed Lives—a first for the organization and the industry.
It’s
too bad that biases best left in the last century continue to get in the way of
an honest review of technology and an organization in need of constructive
criticism, advice, and a new perspective.
“We are
advocates of any system that eases the college application process for our
students,” concludes Ms. Casner, on behalf of HECA and IEC’s in every corner of
the world.
This is the first in a series of two articles
This is the first in a series of two articles
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